Continuously-operating filter.



I. H. FLEETWOOD. ,CONTINUOUSLY OPERATING FILTER. APPLICATION FILED MAR24, 1914.

1107:924\ Patented Aug. 18, 1914,

a 2 SHEETS'SHEET 1.

J. H. FLEETWOOD. GONTINUOUSLY OPP-RATING FILTER.

APPLICATION TILED MAR. 24, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Patented Aug. 18, 1914.

' H, etc.

UNITED STATES;

PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES FLEETWOOD, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

CONTINUOUSLY-OPERATING FILTER.

Specification of Letters lfatent.

Patented Aug. 18, i914.

Application filed March 24, 1914. Serial No. 826,976.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES H. FLEETWOOD,acitizen of the United States. residing at l\ ew Orleans, in the parishof Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Continu ously-Opcrating Filters; and I do hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the artto which itappcrtains to make and use the same.

.\'[ v invention relates to apparatus for filtering cane juice, and itis intended to provide apparatus by which the cane nice may becontinuously filtered, the clear portion being removed, and theunfiltered portions bei-i'ig rturned to the initial reservoir where,mingled with other-fresh juice, it is carried again through the filtersuntil finally the residue is ina condition to be conveyed to the filterpress.

' The apparatus also includes means for washing out the several filtersand for steamingthe same when desired, and it also includes ceitainother novel features which will be hereinafter more fully described andclaimed.

Reference is had to the accompanying in which 1 is a diagram showing thecomthe clarifiers or other source filter presses being omitted; Fig. 2shows the interior of one of the filters along the lines 2-2 of Figs. 1and 3, parts being broken away; Fig. 3 shows a section through thefilter casing along the line 3-4 of Fig.2, and looking in the directionof the arrows, the filter bags and contents of the casing being shown inelevation; Fig. 4 shows a section along the line- 4-4 of Fig. 2, andshows the method of assembling the lower ends of the bag; and Fig. 5 isa detail showing in perspective one of the blocks, or castings, used inthe lowerend of the filter bag.

A represents the pipe leading from the clarifi'ers, or other reservoir,for supplying the juice to be filtered to the reservoir or tank B, whichis connected by the pipe C, controlled by the valve 0, to the pump D,from which pump the juice is forcedthrough the pipe E to the pipes F, F,etc., connected to the manifolds G, G, etc. which deliver the juice intothe interior of the filters H, The clear liquor from the filters is I,1, etc., to'the drawings,

Figure plete. apparatus, of juice, and the carried ofi' by the pipes 9main I and flows into the reservoir J, from bottom and up through thenext filter, as will be hereinafter described, and is delivered to themain M and carried by it back to the reservoir B, where this liquorcontainout is mixed with the other juice in this reservoir B and isagain forced by the pump D through the filters. as aforesaid, againreact in the reservoir B has'becoine so foul as to be unsuitable forfurther passage through the filters, the contents of said reservoir arepumped directly to the filter presses, not shown, through the by-pass Mconnected to the main M. This may be done by closing the valves f, e mand m and opening the valves 6 and m and pumping the fluid direct fromthe reservoir B, through pipes C, E, E", M and M to the filter presses,not shown, where the solid matter is pressed out in the form of theusual filter cake and the clear liquor is expressed in the usual Thedetails of the interior of the filter casing are shown in Figs. 2-4, inwhich there are a series of filter bags O made of the usual textilefabric, in the bottoms of which bags are inserted metal castings I,having drain passages p in the bottom thereof, and a lateral drainpassage 72, as shown in Fig. 5. To this casting P a frame P is secured,which goes inside of the'edges of the bag and stifi'ens the same. Insideof this frame P a mat Q, formed of woven wire springs, is inserted. andthis wire mat is secured to the frame F. and the bottom of the bag isperforated, as at 0, to register with the hole p in the block P. Thecloth bag is sewed up at the top, and the top of the bag is inserted inone of the notches r in the spacing header R, see Fig. 3, which spacingheader is supported iscarried off from the top of one filter to the 7ing the solid matter that has not been filtered ,1

turning to the reservoir B. \Vhen the prod struction shown in Fig. 4,and. a hand-hold on the ribs h of the filter casing. Thus there is afree space between the sides of adjacent filter bags, throu h which theincoming liquid flows, and the lter liquor passes into the interior ofthe bag and flowing down between the coil springs Q enters the passagesp in the block P and escapeslthrough the passage p, which is connectedto the pipe I, I, as shown most clearly in Fig. So as to have this spacecontinuous between the bags throughout, the bottoms of the bags arethrottled in by the wrapping of twine, or other similar material, suchas is shown at 0 in Fig. 4.

The blocks P are held together in any convenient way, as by the bolt andnut conand cover h are provided for access to the bolt P and the nut p"for convenience in assembling and dis-assembling the parts.

The top H" of the filter casing is made removable so that the filterbags may be removed from the filter whenever desired.

For the purpose of cleansing out, the apparatus is provided'with a steampipe S, controlled by thevalve 8, and having a feeder S connected to theinterior of the various filter casings, whereby steam may be let intothe spaces in the filters between the various filter bags, thus softeninand, in a large measure, blowing off from the exterior of the filter bagany incrustation of any solid matter that may accumulate thereon. I alsorovide drain pipes T from the bot tom 0 each filter casing, which arecontrolled by suitable valves t add are connected to the drain pipe Twhich delivers its contents into the reservoir B. It will be seen'thathot water may be supplied to the tank B through a suitable connection U,and may be pumped by the pump D to the pipe A and forced into thevarious filter casings between the filter bags. This water after washingoff the exterior of the bags may be drawn off through these pipes T andT back to the reservoil B, as will be hereinafter more fully described.a

The operation of the complete device will now be described.

Suppose the reservoir B to be charged with juice from the clarifiers, asabove stated, the valves 6, m and m being closed and the --valves 6, fand f being open, also the valves m and m and the valve m, start thepump D, and this will force the-juice throu h the pipe E into the pipe Fand the mani ild G, and it will flow between the filter bags in thefilter casing H; and the clear liquor will pass through the materialforming the bags and will escape through the pipe I. From the firstfilter the unfiltered material, continuing its travel between the bawill pass out of the pipe M at the top 0 the filter, and will enter themain' M', whence it willcome down into the 1 pipe E", and passing thevalve 6 will enter the pipe F and fiow into the manifold G; the liquorflowing on the outside of the bags while the "clear liquor will flow outthrough the pipe I to the main 1 and thence to the reservoir J for clearliquor. The unfiltered liquid will rise in the filter casing 11, andpassing through the pipe M will'euter the main M and will be returned tothe reservoir B. If the-re are more than two filters in series, the flowof the unfiltered liquid through the other filters, not shown, would besimilar to that already described with regard to the filter casirigs Hand II. \Vhen the unfiltered liquid returns to the reservoir B, it willmingle with the liquid in said reservoir and will be pumped again by thepump D through the filters, repeating the cycle of flow as before, andthis process of separating the clear juice from the unfiltered liquidmay be continued i11- definitely.

It will'be noted-that the liquid to be filtered will be forced throu hthe spaces between the bags with considerable velocity, and that it willtend to wash off and carry along with it the solid particles which wouldordinarily tend to incrust the exterior walls of the filter bags; andthus the flow of the liquid automatically scours the exterior of thebags, carrying along with said flow these solid particles and returningthem to the reservoir B, whence they are taken care of by the filterpresses. It will also be noted that this scouring action is continued aslong as the flow of the juice through the apparatus is maintained, or aslong as the pump D is in/operation. This scourin effect is an importantfactor in the life of t e operation of the apparatus.

When the liquid in the reservoir B becomes too foul for further flowthrough the filters, as hereinbefore described, if the valve 6 be openedand the valves 6 and f be closed, also the valves m and m be closed, andthe valve 'm beopened, the liquid may be pumped through the pipes E andE to the main M and thence out through the bypass M to the filterpresses, not shown, where the filter cake may be separated from theliquid in the usual well-known way.

When it is desired to clean out the filters at the end of the usual run,which is generally six days, more or less, the pump D is stopped and anyunfiltered liquor remaining in the filters is drained out through thepipes T and T into the reservoir B, and this reser voir is emptied ofits contents and filled with hot water. Now close the valves 11 and thevalves f and f and turn on steam through the pipes S and S; this willfill the space between the filter bags in the filter casings. and thesteam will-condense on the slime or mud on the filter casingand willsoften same and cause a part of it to drop ofi', and this incrustationof mud, slime, etc., is further washed ofl'by shuttin off the steam andpumplng water throug the spaces between the bags in the same directionas the juice was originally car ried; the said water bringing along withit the mud, slime, etc., from the filter will bring the said solidmatter back into the reservoir, thus washing the filter bags ofl'thoroughly Without the necessity of dis-mantlin the apparatus. It willbe seen that these lter bags may be washed in situ, without thenecessity of taking the covers off of the'filter casings or removing thefilter bags therefrom. It will thus! be ossible to run the apparatus fora number of days without washing it, and then to wash out the samewithout dis-mantling the apparatus, and continue the operation of thedevice indefinitely; but if, through defective material or other causes,one or more of the bags may leak, this leakage will be noted in thefiltered liquor line, and by shutting off 1 the various filters oneafter the other the leak-- may be readily located, and that filter cutout of the circuit, the cover removed and the necessary-re airs made.Thus I provide a continuous fi a paratus' which may be used indefinitelywi out dis-mantling the same; yet when it is necessary to dismantle anyportion thereof, through defective parts, the said defects may bereadily located and repaired without throwing the rest of the apparatusout of operation. I

It will be obvious that various modifications might be made in theherein described apparatus and in the construction, combinat1on andarrangement'of parts which could.

,rcceivin reservoir for the filtered fluid, contween said receivingreservoir and tht ihterior of said bags, and a return pipe from "saidfilter casing to said supply reserv ir whereby a continuous circulationof the flui may be maintained over and past the outside of saidbags,while permitting the flitered portion of the said circulating fluid-topass through the-walls of said bags into the receiving reservoir,substantially as described.

2; Apparatus for filtering saccharine juice, co'm risin a supplyreservoir for the fluid to be terecfi a pum connected to said reservoirand provide with av delivery pipe, a filter casing connected to saiddelivery pipe,

"a plurality of filter bags mounted in said casing and spaced apart fromeach other, a receiving reservoir for the filtered fluid, connectionsbetween said receiving reservoir and the interior of said bags, a returnpipe from said filter casing to said supply reservoir, whereby acontinuous circulation of the fluid may be maintained over and past theoutside 1 of said bags, while permitting the filtered portion of thesaid circulating fluid top'ass through the walls of said bags into thereceiving reservoir, a steam pipe for supplying steam into said filtercasing, means for supplying water to said supply reservoir, means forcutting oil said apparatus from said receiving reservoir when desired,and a drain pipe from said filter/casing, substantially as described.

3. Apparatusiffior filtering saccharine juice, comprisingia supplyreservoir for the fluid to he filtered, a pump connected to saidreservoir and provided with a delivery pipe, a series of filter casingsconnected at one end to said delivery pipe, a plurality of filter bagsmounted in each casing and spaced apart from each other, a receivingreservoir for the filtered fluid, connections between said receivingreservoir and the'interior of said bags,.and a return pipe connectingthe other eitdhfimid filter casings to said supply reservo' ,wl'rerebv acontinuous circulation of the fluid may be maintained through saidfilter casings seriatz'm and over and past the outside of saidbags,.while permitting the filtered portion of the said cirulating fluidto pass through'the' walls ofsaidbags-into the receiving reservoir,substantially as described.

4. Apparatus for filtering saccharine juice, comprising a supplyreservoir for the fluid to be filtered, a connected to said reservoirand provided with a delivery pipe, a series of filter casings connectedat one end to said delivery pipe, a plurality of filter bags mounted ineach casing and' spaced apart from each other, a receiving reservoir forthe filtered fluid, connectionsv between said receiving reservoir andthe interior of said bags, a return pipe connecting the other end ofsaid filter casings to said su ply reservoir,whereby a continuous circuation of the fluid may be maintained through said filter casingsscriatz'm and over and past the outside of said bags, while permittingthe filtered portion of the said circulating fluid to pass through thewalls of said bags into the receiving reservoir, and a by-pass from saidreturn pipe for carrying ofl' the unfiltered fluid, substantially asdescribed.

Apparatus for filtering saccharine juice, comprisinga supply reservoirfor the I lac te'r bags mounted in each casing and spaced apart fromea'ch other, a receiving reservoir for the filtered fluid, connectionsbetween said receiving. reservoir and the interior of said bags, a"returnpipe connecting the other end of said filter casings to saidsupply reservoir, whereby a continuous circulation of the fluid may hemaintained through said filter casirigs-s'eri'atimand over and past theoutside of'sa id bags, while permitting the filtered portion of the saidcirculating fluid to pass through the walls of said bags into t e,receiving reservoir, a steam pipe for supplying steam into said filtercasings, means for supplying water to said supply reservoir, meuns f orcutting off said apparatus from said receiving reservoir when desired,and a drain pipe from said filter casings, substantially as described.

6. Apparatus for filtering saccharine juice, comprising a supplyreservoir for the fluid to be filtered, a pump connected to saidreservoir and provided with a delivery pipe, a series of filter casingsconnected at one end to said delivery pipe, a plurality of-filter' bagsmounted in each casing'and spaced ape-rt i fromeachwother, a receivingreservoir for the. filtered rfluid, connections between saidreceivingsreservoir and the interior of said bags, a return pipeconnecting the other end of saidxfilter casings to said supplyreservoir, whereby a-continuous circulationof the fluid may bemaintained through said .filter casings' seui-dtim and overand past theoutside of said bags, while ermittin -the filtered portion of the saidcirculating fluid to pass through the Walls of said bags into thereceiving reservoir, a by-pass from said return pipe for carrying offthe unfiltered fluid, a steam pipe for supplying steam into said filtercasings, means for supplying Water to said supply reservoir, means forcutting 'ofl' said apparatus from said receiving reservoir when desired,and a drain pipe from said filter casings, substantially as described. p

7.. In contimiously operating filter apparatus, the cembinat1on of afluid supp y reservoir, a pump connected to said reservoir and providedwitha delivery pi e a plurality of filter casings, eaehprovi ed with aplurality of filter bags; time closing the bottoms of said bag and:rovided with passages therethrough, com 'onsbetween said filters andsaiil deliwl y the outside of'sii'd bags, retu connections between saidfilters and said supply. reseb voir leading the outside at said a tankfoi'the filtered fluid, and connections bet ween th passages in saidblocks and said 5 tank, mib'stiintiullyznsdescribed. Intest'monywhereof, I afix nly signer ture, in presence oftwo witnesses.

JAMES ii. rtshrrjiveen;

W'itnessesz p .v

R. M. PARKER, Egmr- Wmmns0mleading to

